White House defends raid, will continue working with Yemen

Thursday, February 09, 2017 - 00:59

The White House defended a U.S. commando raid in Yemen targeting al Qaeda militants which killed several civilians and said it would continue working with Yemen to battle militants. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).

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ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)
The White House defended on Wednesday (February 8) a U.S. commando raid in Yemen targeting al Qaeda militants which killed several civilians and said it would continue working with the Yemeni government to battle militants.
"Yemen, more than most countries, fully appreciates the fight that we have with ISIS and I think we're going to continue to work with them to strengthen our diplomatic relationships and understand our fight against terrorism," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said.
Spicer said the White House had been in touch with Yemeni officials through diplomatic channels amid concerns over the raid but stopped short on commenting about reports of Yemen revoking permission for future operations.
The nighttime raid in southern al-Bayda province, approved by new U.S. President Donald Trump, resulted in a gun battle that left one Navy SEAL dead and an American aircraft a charred wreck. Local medics said several women and children were killed.
U.S. defense officials said they were investigating the reports of civilian casualties in the raid. Spicer said on Wednesday the operation was aimed at gathering intelligence and was "a huge success."

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